Descent to Darkness
by Gazing on the Arabesque
Summary: Not every defendant is innocent. Some are truly horrible, heinous people who will do everything in their power to manipulate and corrupt those around them. Who knew one girl's manipulation could drive such an honorable man to darkness? Kristoph/Dahlia


**I know I should be updating AJ:NB, but the plot bunnies just wouldn't leave me alone! So this is my version of the ubiquitous Kristoph/Dahlia pairing, back when the two of them were actually ALIVE, when Kristoph was innocent and naïve enough to actually fall for Dahlia's charms. I guess you could call this a deconstruction of the pairing. Enjoy!**

XX

_June 2, 8:57 PM_

_Detention Center_

Kristoph Gavin prided himself in being a calm, level-headed man. Virtually nothing fazed him; his younger brother Klavier could testify to that. But when he was presented with an angel, begging him with tear-filled eyes to defend her, even though he just recently passed the bar exam and hadn't yet taken a case, his mind was sent into a whirl. She was so beautiful, with her red hair pinned up in two braids, her pale skin, and her dark brown eyes, that when she requested that he defend her, he simply couldn't refuse. Neither the orange prison garb she was clad in nor the glass window that separated them marred her beauty. "Miss Hawthorne," he said in what he hoped sounded like a strong, confident voice. "I hope you know what you are doing, trusting a mere greenhorn with your life."

"Please, Mr. Gavin," she said, her eyes sparkling with tears. "No one else will take my case. You're all I have left. Please…" A wave of guilt passed over Kristoph.

"I…" he began shortly. "I… apologize, Miss Hawthorne. It's just that…" _I know why no one else took her case_, Kristoph thought. _It's because she's been accused of serial murder. But, no matter how much I look at her… all I can see is _innocence_. _

"Mr. Gavin?" she piped up. "I-Is everything all right?" Kristoph cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Yes, everything is all right," he answered quietly. "And…" He turned away from her. "If you wish… you may call me Kristoph…" The woman smiled brightly at him.

"Yes, thank you Kristoph," she said sweetly. "And… you don't have to call me 'Miss Hawthorne' _all_ the time, you know… Just 'Dahlia' is fine.

"Very well, Dahlia," Kristoph said. He liked the way her name sounded in his ears, the way it so easily rolled off his tongue…

… perhaps once he had won her a full acquittal, he would court her, dine with her, lavish her with his wealth.

He could just picture his brother laughing at him. "You've grown soft, Kristoph," he would say. "Love at first sight is just nonsense, ja?" _I thought so too, Klavier, but… seeing Dahlia now… I can see why people believe it exists._

"I'm owe you a lot, Kristoph," Dahlia said, her eyes averting to the floor. "Thank you so much for doing this for me. My case is near hopeless…"

"Dahlia, you _are_ innocent, correct?" Kristoph asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Of course!" Dahlia replied, sounding slightly alarmed. "You… don't believe me?"

"N-No," Kristoph replied shakily. _That was a terrible thing to say! Now she won't trust me with her defense!_ "I'm sorry. That… That was a terrible thing to ask. Of course you are innocent, and I will do everything in my power to prove that in court tomorrow." She smiled gently at him.

"Thank you, Kristoph," she said again. "Thank you for believing in me."

* * *

><p><em>June 3, 9:56 AM<em>

_District Court_

_Defendant Lobby No. 2_

"Again, thank you so much, Kristoph, for doing this for me," Dahlia said. Kristoph smiled at her.

"Don't worry too much," he assured her. "I will get you a 'not guilty' verdict for sure."

"You're so… optimistic," Dahlia observed. "I… I really admire you for that." Kristoph felt blood rush into his face.

"I… erm…" he mumbled.

"So this is the famous Dahlia Hawthorne, ja?" Kristoph balled his hands into fists as he faced his grinning brother.

"Klavier," he muttered. "What are you doing here?"

"Mama, Papa, and I came to watch your first trial!" Klavier replied cheerfully. "How could you possibly expect us to miss it?"

"Um…" Dahlia mumbled. "Kristoph?"

"Oh!" Kristoph gasped. "Dahlia, this is my younger brother Klavier." Dahlia gave him a pleasant smile.

"Pleased to meet you," she told him. Klavier stared at her with a blank expression on his face. _Oh Klavier, please don't…_

"Fräulein, I hope for my brother's sake that you are truly innocent," he said flatly.

"Klavier!" Kristoph reprimanded. "Of _course_ Dahlia is innocent! She gave me her word!"

"Well then I hope you have a solid case, mein bruder," Klavier continued. "Because I happened to overhear the prosecutor's name."

"And it is?" Kristoph asked, raising one eyebrow.

"von Karma," Klavier whispered. A shiver ran down Kristoph's spine. _von Karma… this isn't good… I have to make a solid case, otherwise Dahlia will be found guilty!_

"Kristoph?" Dahlia piqued. "Is that a bad thing?" Kristoph stared at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

"No, Dahlia," he said finally. "It doesn't matter who the prosecution is. All that matters is that you're innocent, and I am going to prove it." Dahlia smiled.

"Thank you, Kristoph," she said again.

* * *

><p><em>June 3, 10:00 AM<em>

_District Court_

_Courtroom No. 2_

The judge banged down his gavel to silence the people in the gallery. "Court is now in session for the trial of Miss Dahlia Hawthorne," he announced. Kristoph gazed over at the prosecution's bench, where a young girl, perhaps a little older than Klavier at the most, stood. She gripped a riding crop tightly in her hands.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Kristoph said.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," the girl said. Kristoph's eyes narrowed at the girl. _So my opponent is a little girl? What happened to von Karma?_

"Um…" the judge mumbled. "I'm sorry, I was under the impression that Prosecutor von Karma would be here today." The girl bent her riding crop and glared at the judge.

"I _am_ Prosecutor von Karma!" she yelled at him. "I am Franziska von Karma, the prodigy, and I predict that this trial will end today." She pointed her riding crop out at Kristoph and smirked. "It is just your rotten luck that you will be facing a von Karma today, Mr. Kristoph Gavin!" Kristoph crossed his arms.

"So you did your research," he observed. Franziska waved her finger infuriatingly at him.

"But of course," she replied smoothly. "A von Karma strives for only one thing." She did a little curtsey. "Perfection."

"Ah!" the judge gasped. "Mr. von Karma mentioned you! You are his daughter!"

"That is correct," Franziska affirmed, smiling naturally for once.

"Very well," the judge said. "Will the prosecution call its first witness?"

"The prosecution calls the head detective on this case, Detective Gumshoe," Franziska announced. A tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a long green trench coat walked up to the witness stand. "Witness, please testify about the defendant's crimes."

"Right away, sir!" Gumshoe replied eagerly, smiling. The detective proceeded to state all of Dahlia's "crimes," including the theft of an expensive diamond, the murder of her older sister Valerie Hawthorne and her ex-boyfriend Doug Swallow, and driving another former boyfriend, Terry Fawles, to suicide. Kristoph kept on pressing the detective. Dahlia was innocent, and he was bound to slip up sooner or later, right? But no matter how many times he refuted the detective's claims, Franziska von Karma would present evidence proving him wrong. _She forged that evidence_, Kristoph convinced himself. _All of it. Dahlia is innocent._

"Now, Your Honor, the prosecution would like fifteen-minutes to prepare the next witness," Franziska said, waving her finger infuriatingly. The judge nodded.

"Very well," he said, banging down his gavel. "Court will now adjourn for a fifteen-minute recess."

* * *

><p><em>June 3, 10:20 AM<em>

_District Court_

_Defendant Lobby No. 2_

Kristoph paced nervously around the room. _This is terrible_, he thought miserably. _My first trial, and I'm already doing so badly…_ He glanced briefly around the empty defendant lobby. _Where is Dahlia anyway?_ The door swung open, and a man about his age wearing an extravagant red suit with a fluffy white cravat stepped in. "Kristoph Gavin," he addressed curtly. Kristoph's eyes narrowed as he recognized the man. _That's Miles Edgeworth, the so-called "Demon Prosecutor"… _

"What is it that you need?" Kristoph asked.

"A word with you, please," Edgeworth replied politely. "Miss Hawthorne has already seduced you, I see." Kristoph glared at him. _How… How dare he? What does he know about—_ "I know this because I once summoned her as a witness in a trial, and every man in the courtroom was taken in by her charms, including me."

"And your point is?" Kristoph prompted, crossing his arms.

"My point is that Dahlia Hawthorne is clearly _guilty_," Edgeworth retorted. Kristoph looked to the side and glared.

"You only say that because it is your mentor's daughter who is prosecuting today…" Kristoph muttered.

"And do you wish to know _why_ the chief prosecutor would trust a fourteen-year-old girl with such a case, as opposed to her father, with his perfect win record of _thirty-seven years_?" Edgeworth asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because she is a girl who I know for a fact is not homosexual, and because she is so young. These two factors alone make her immune to Miss Hawthorne's charms." The door swung open again, and Dahlia walked inside. Edgeworth leaned in and whispered something to Kristoph in German. "There's one more thing. The defendant has already confessed to the crime." Kristoph couldn't even suppress his shock and disbelief as Edgeworth left the room.

"Kristoph?" Dahlia whispered, her eyebrows raised in concern. "Is… Is everything ok?" Kristoph cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose. _Of course. He is on von Karma's side. He was simply trying to get me to lose focus._

"Everything is fine," he said, smiling brightly at her. "Let's continue the trial, shall we?"

* * *

><p><em>June 3, 10:30 AM<em>

_District Court_

_Courtroom No. 2_

"Court will now reconvene for the trial of Miss Dahlia Hawthorne," the judge announced. "Is the witness ready, Miss von Karma?"

"The witness is ready, Your Honor," Franziska affirmed, stretching out her arm. At the witness stand stood a man about Kristoph's age, wearing a hideous (in Kristoph's opinion) pink sweatshirt, looking rather miserable. "Witness, state your name and occupation."

"Um…" the man mumbled quietly. "Phoenix Wright… I'm an art major at Ivy University."

"Mr. Phoenix Wright, please testify about the crimes Miss Dahlia Hawthorne committed against you," Franziska said, crossing her arms and frowning.

"Um…" Phoenix mumbled. "O-Ok… Last year, I met Dollie – Dahlia – and she gave me a bottle necklace and told me it symbolized our love. We went out for about eight months until I caught this cold, and she poisoned my cold medicine. Doug Swallow, her ex, told me not to trust her, but I didn't believe him, so I pushed him. Later, Dollie – I mean Dahlia – came and killed him, and then she pinned the murder on me…" Phoenix looked like a kicked puppy, dying on the inside, and Kristoph almost pitied him. Almost. _Well clearly he is lying_, Kristoph insisted. _Dahlia is innocent._ Just as he opened his mouth to rip apart the pitiful man's testimony – _because unless traces of poison were actually found in his cold medicine, there is no way he can expect me to believe him _– Franziska decided to speak up.

"Your Honor, the prosecution took the liberty of testing Mr. Phoenix Wright's cold medicine for traces of poison," she quipped, "long ago, when Miss Dahlia Hawthorne was first arrested." She struggled for a minute to lift a particularly large brief case up onto the table in front of her (this sent the spectators in the gallery into conversation as comments such as "Poor thing, does she need help?" and "How precious!" flew into the air) before opening it and pulling out a bottle of Coldkiller X, with the pills and the inside of the bottle stained a light blue. Kristoph sucked in a breath. _So he was telling the truth…_ The next few minutes passed by like a blur. Before he even knew what was happening, the judge was banging down his gavel, declaring Dahlia guilty, Franziska was positively beaming, and Phoenix Wright was stepping down from the witness stand.

* * *

><p><em>June 3, 10:35 AM<em>

_District Court_

_Defendant Lobby No. 2_

Kristoph stood in the defendant lobby, staring listlessly at a painting in the corner of the room, unable to comprehend what had just happened. _I… lost… my first trial, too…_ The defendant lobby doors swung open, and Dahlia entered, followed by two court bailiffs. Kristoph rushed over to her, and apologies began tumbling out of his mouth. "Dahlia, I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I… you…"

"Hmph." Dahlia flipped a strand of her red hair behind her shoulder. "_Stupid_ Kristoph." Kristoph's eyes widened in shock.

"Wh-What?" he gasped.

"Can't even do your job right," Dahlia sneered. "Honestly, how can anyone ever depend on _you_?"

"But…" Kristoph protested feebly, his eyes averting to the floor. "But I…"

"Are you retarded or something?" Dahlia continued, "because you just stood there with your mouth hanging open like an idiot."

"I'm sorry…" Kristoph whispered.

"Now I'm going to _die_, and it's all _your_ fault!" she accused. "Yours and that stupid little bitch's fault!" _v-von Karma?_ Kristoph thought.

"Now you've only got yourself to blame, missy," one of the bailiffs retorted.

"Time to go," the other one said as the two bailiffs led Dahlia out of the defendant lobby. Klavier entered soon afterward, staring back at Dahlia before going to face his brother.

"Achtung!" he muttered. "That was a bad trial, mein bruder." Kristoph couldn't even summon the willpower to throttle his little brother. "Well, that's how it goes. Fräulein Hawthorne really was guilty, and she got the sentence she deserved." Klavier smiled brightly at him. "Let's go. Mama and Papa are waiting." Kristoph nodded briefly before following Klavier out of the defendant lobby. _Dahlia… really _was_ guilty… And I fell for her tricks… Why are there even defense attorneys when the defendant is clearly guilty? Maybe because defense attorneys have to make a living this way too…_ Kristoph balled his hands into fists. _So that's what I'll do. I'll get every single one declared innocent. It doesn't matter if they're guilty or not. That's the only way defense attorneys can survive in this world._

XX

… **I think I made Franziska a little OOC there… Maybe it's because I tried too hard to make her sound like a little girl… Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!**


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